Kody Walsh trial: On night of murder Lori Daniels was just looking for a ride home

Wednesday

Feb 26, 2014 at 5:40 PMFeb 26, 2014 at 5:41 PM

By Jeff KolkeyRockford Register Star

ROCKFORD - Lori A. Daniels of Wisconsin tipped bikini-clad exotic dancers the night of Sept. 8, 2012, at Rockford's State Street Station while she waited for her friend, a bartender, to get off work.

But when Daniels grew impatient and wanted to leave the bikini bar before it closed at 2 a.m. - she wanted to see her boyfriend - she made what turned out to be a fatal mistake. Daniels got what was supposed to be a simple ride home in the green Ford Explorer of her acquaintance Ebert Davison of Beloit, who was with Kody R. Walsh of Rockford.

Davison testified that Walsh was in the back seat when he shot Daniels twice in the head and killed her as they drove toward Beloit along Interstate 90. After Daniels was killed, Davison testified, Davis was forced at gunpoint by Walsh to continue driving toward his home in Beloit.

Walsh says he is not guilty of all charges, which include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful discharge of a firearm. His trial is taking place this week in Judge John Truitt's courtroom.

Winnebago County Assistant Public Defender Nick Zimmerman told jurors that he plans to argue Davison framed Walsh for Daniels' killing.

"It was crazy," said Davison, who until that night considered Walsh a close friend. "I couldn't believe what happened. That's not Kody. He was family. He would stay with my kids. That's not the Kody I know."

Security video footage from outside Davison's Beloit home, where he had installed four cameras, shows that once they arrived, Walsh robbed Davison and held him at gunpoint. Davison said Walsh struck him in the head with the butt of the handgun.

In the security camera video, Davison cowers and ducks for cover as he holds his hands up. Walsh apparently opens fire as Davison scrambles into the house. Davison runs through a back door out the front once he thinks Walsh has driven off in his SUV.

"There's a dead lady in my truck and my friend has a gun on me," Davison said in response to a question about why he ran in one door and out the other in search of help. "I want to get as far away from that as I can." All Daniels had wanted was a ride home.

Daniels had gone to the bar with her longtime friend Demetrius Scott of Beloit. Scott was dating Daniels' friend Kelly Schobinger, who worked at the bikini bar as a bartender and waitress.

Schobinger testified that Daniels had been her best friend for 18 years.

Daniels' car was parked at Schobinger's Beloit residence. When Schobinger arrived home after work with Scott about 2:30 a.m. Sept. 9, 2012, Daniel's vehicle was still there.

Schobinger grew visibly emotional as she recalled how her desperate calls to Daniels' cell phone went unanswered as she sensed something was horribly wrong.

"I called her 6, 7, 8 times," Schobinger said. "It could have been more."